Promises Kept
by FallingStar95
Summary: When Keith's time is nearly up, Natalie and Henry prepare to say their final goodbyes, but how can they possibly bear to let him go? Rated T because I cried when I wrote it. My first Keith fanfic.


**Hey guys! So, I know that writing Keith's death scene isn't a very original idea, but I've been itching to write a _Keith _fanfic for a while now. And let's admit it, there isn't a lot more to write about for this incredible movie. It's just too perfect as it is. So, anyway, I hope that you enjoy my latest fanfiction, _Promises Kept._**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Keith_. **

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It was early on a Saturday morning when it began.

Keith woke early, his head throbbing uncomfortably. Turning his head to check the clock, he noticed that perhaps it wasn't as early as he had thought. Although his body was telling him that it was about 7:00, it was really almost noon. He sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, until an ache in his stomach caused him to hunch over. Clapping his hand to his mouth, he bolted to his feet and ran to the bathroom, throwing up noisily in the toilet. He choked and sputtered until the burning sensation began to recede, and he slowly lifted his head to wash out his mouth in the sink. Staring at his pale face in the mirror, he knew exactly what was happening. _It's starting, _he thought to himself.

His thoughts immediately rushed to Natalie. What would he tell her? How could he bring himself to? If he told her how he was feeling, she would make sure he went to the hospital, to live out the last hours of his life in a white, sterile room. Nothing about this appealed to him whatsoever. He knew he was going to die, but he didn't want to spend his time contemplating it. He only wanted to fade away peacefully at home, in a familiar and comfortable place. As long as he was there, in his own warm bed, with Natalie and his father by his side, death suddenly didn't sound so terrible. He was a bit anxious about the pain of it all, but that was the least of his worries at the moment. Most of all, he was worried about how Natalie would take it.

He straightened up when he heard the sound of a horn. Slowly, he dragged himself to the window overlooking the front lawn and peered outside. There, in the driveway, he recognized Natalie's familiar teal car. He tried to smile, but he couldn't through the pain. Slowly, before Natalie could see him at the window, he sat down on the edge of his bed and began to concentrate on breathing evenly.

"Keith?" He heard his father call outside his door. "Keith, Natalie's here."

"I know, Dad." He croaked, swallowing back the lump in his throat. His voice had come out much weaker than he had expected.

Deeply worried by how quiet and raspy his son's voice was, Henry pushed the door open and came to stand in front of him. "Keith, are you feeling alright?" He asked him, laying his hand on his forehead. "You're burning up!"

Keith shook his head, shakily standing to his feet. "No, don't worry. I'm just fine, I promise."

Henry shook his head. "Keith, maybe we should take you to the hospital."

"No!" He exclaimed, although he struggled to compose himself. "No. Really, dad, I don't feel sick."

Henry eyed him suspiciously. "If you start feeling worse, you'd better call me, and I'll come pick you up."

Keith nodded. "Alright, dad." He promised. "Thanks for-" He began to say, but he suddenly couldn't speak. He felt as if something had stabbed him from the inside, and everything went black. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed.

Henry reacted immediately, catching his son and lowering him gently onto the ground. "Keith!" He exclaimed, bowing his head down to check his son's breathing. It was brittle and raspy, but thankfully, it was still there. He turned away from him only for a second to run to the window. _"Natalie!" _He called down to the driveway.

She looked up at the sound of his worried exclamation. Just by the tremors in his voice, she knew something was terribly wrong. She shrugged off her backpack and threw it in her car, sprinting through the door and up the stairs. The sight of Keith lying there on the floor was almost enough to cause her to faint as well.

"_Keith!"_ She screamed, dropping to her knees beside him. She took hold of his shoulder and gently shook him. "Open your eyes, Keith. Please, I need you to wake up. For me." She urged him desperately, but he was totally out cold. "What can I do?" She demanded, looking at Henry with tears building up in her eyes.

Henry almost couldn't bring himself to speak, but somehow, he managed to move his tongue. "Just… call an ambulance while I get him outside."

Natalie nodded and dialed 911 with shaking fingers. Once she had quickly given them the situation and the address, she rushed outside to where Henry had laid Keith out upon the soft grass. Natalie rushed to her unconscious boyfriend and fell beside him, settling his head in her lap. She lovingly stroked her fingers across his forehead, brushing his soft hair out of his eyes. "Please don't leave me yet." She whispered. "I'm counting on you, Keith. You can do this."

Once the ambulance arrived, Natalie and Henry were allowed to ride in the backseat along with Keith for the ride to the hospital. Although it was only five minutes away, it seemed like an eternity to Natalie. The ride was spent in silence, with the exception of Keith's raspy breathing. When they finally arrived, a group of paramedics rushed out to the ambulance and laid Keith on a stretcher. All too quickly, he was whisked away.

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It had been five hours since Keith was taken in for treatment, and Natalie still sat in the waiting room, worried sick. She chewed on her fingernails, paced around the room nervously, and constantly fidgeted, none of which helping to calm her down in the least. Keith could be in pain, dead, or perhaps he would never wake up. She let out a small scream, barely audible, and stood to her feet, turning to face Henry. "Why haven't they told us anything yet?" She demanded, pacing in a small circle in the center of the waiting room.

Henry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, as if he had a headache. "I don't know." He whispered. She was glad he had not reacted like her mother or father would have. They would have glared at her and said something like "Patience is a virtue, Natalie." It sure as hell wasn't when your boyfriend could be dying!

As if her prayers had been heard, a nurse finally walked into the waiting room. "Henry Zetterstrom?"

Henry leapt to his feet and nearly sprinted across the room. Natalie followed close behind. "How is he?" They demanded simultaneously.

The nurse heaved a heavy sigh. "He's awake, but he's in a lot of pain. We've tried everything, but nothing seems to be improving his condition." She explained. As she saw their faces fall, her heart nearly cracked. "I'm very sorry." She spoke softly.

Natalie sank into a chair and laid her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Henry sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her. "Shh…" He whispered, trying to console her, but he gave up quickly as his eyes filled with tears as well.

The nurse came no closer to them than a couple feet, feeling as she were intruding on their moment of grief. "He doesn't have much time left," She told them. "and he wants to say his goodbyes."

Natalie lifted her head and nodded, shakily standing to her feet. As the nurse led them down the hallway, Henry turned to her. "Natalie," he whispered. "before he collapsed this morning… Keith told me that he would want you there with him when… when his time came." He choked out. "Would you please… honor his final wish?" He pleaded. "He loves you, Natalie, and I just want him to have someone there beside him."

Her stomach twisted at the idea of watching Keith die, but she couldn't bear the thought of him passing away without her at his side. "Of course." She promised, her voice thick with tears. "But even if he'd never met me, he would've still had you."

Henry gave her a wry smile. "I'm his father. It's not the same." He chuckled, although his tone was without humor. "He really loves you because it's always just been the two of us. Keith never really made an effort to make many friends because he both knew what was coming, but you're special to him, Natalie."

Natalie couldn't help but return the watery smile. "I love him, too, Henry." She whispered. "I really do."

As they reached the section for last names starting with Z, the nurse stopped at Keith's room and quietly pushed the door open so that they could shuffle inside.

Keith laid sprawled across his bed exhaustedly, an IV in his arm and a heart monitor beeping constantly beside him. If it weren't for the small movement of his chest rising and falling, Natalie might have thought he was already dead. It broke her heart to see him so weak. Now that his time was nearly up, she could see how much the cancer had changed him. Although he was still the Keith she knew and loved, he was as pale as a sheet, and it seemed like he had lost a lot of weight all at once. He was much too skinny.

As the door clicked closed behind them, Keith's eyes slowly fluttered open. He blinked heavily a few times until his eyes focused to the bright lights, but when he stared up at Natalie, his lips spread into a small smile. "Hey, partner." He croaked, his voice slightly wheezy.

Natalie smiled and brushed her fingers through his hair. "Hey." She whispered back. She opened her mouth to speak to him again, but she didn't know what to say. She hadn't planned what she would say to him in this moment. Slowly, she pressed her lips together and just continued to run her fingers across his forehead.

Henry seemed to be at a loss for words as well. He opened and closed his mouth wordlessly, in a similar fashion as Natalie. When she saw him struggling to speak, she sat back in her chair and nodded to Henry, giving him permission to say his goodbyes to Keith in private. She didn't want to intrude.

Henry nodded curtly and leaned forward in his chair to gently hug his son. "I'm so proud of you for coming this far." He told Keith softly. "I know it hurts, but it's all going to be over soon. Be brave, Keith." He encouraged him. "I love you."

Keith swallowed and looked up at his father, his constant companion for years after his mother had died. "Love you, too, Dad." He rasped, weakly lifting his arms to return his father's hug. And after he was holding himself up, he didn't want to let go. He knew that his father would be all alone after this, having lost both his wife and son. Keith could feel his eyes welling up with tears at the thought of his father sitting at home, all by himself.

Henry noticed as the tears overflowed and ran down Keith's sallow cheeks. He wanted to comfort him and tell him that everything would be alright, but he couldn't. If he did, he would be lying, and his son knew it, too. He wanted to tell him not to cry, but once again, it was pointless.

Keith took a shaky breath and stared up at his father. "I don't want to be scared." He cried weakly. "I've known this was coming all along, but I'm still so scared of what's going to happen." He choked out.

Henry's heart broke at his son's words. "Shhh… don't be afraid." He told him, kissing his son's forehead. "There's a better place waiting for you. A world without pain." He told him. "And guess who's going to be waiting for you when you get there?"

Keith was almost too tired to think, but when he understood, his eyes shined. "Mom…" He whispered, a small smile spreading across his face.

Henry smiled. "Yup." He told him. "And I'll never be alone, Keith, because I know that both of you will always be watching over me."

Natalie, who was sitting quietly in the corner, was trying her hardest not to sob. She had once thought that moments like these only happened in movies, but now it was much too real for her to handle. Things like these really did happen, and now she realized that the experience was difficult to stomach.

Henry leaned down and kissed Keith's head, pulling away slowly. He dragged his feet as he walked over to Natalie. "He wants to spend the rest of his time with you." He whispered in her ear. "I'll give you some privacy so you can… say your goodbyes." He choked.

Natalie nodded slowly and hugged Henry tightly. "Thank you." She whispered.

He gave her a small smile and let his eyes sweep across the room before stepping out into the hallway and pulling the door closed behind him.

The room was suddenly dead silent. Natalie swallowed the lump sticking in her throat and sat down beside Keith where Henry had previously been. She tried to think of what to say, tried to find a way to put her unspoken thoughts and feelings into words. And finally, it slipped out through her lips, plain and simple. "I don't want you to go." She whimpered, sounding like a little girl.

Keith opened his bright, green eyes and stared up at her. He opened his mouth, coughed, and then found the strength to speak to her. "I have to." He wheezed. "You know that, Nat."

"I know, but I don't want to believe it." She whined. "I want you to stay with me forever and ever. It's not supposed to be this way."

"How is it supposed to be then?" Keith asked.

Natalie gave him a small smile. "It's supposed to be like a fairy tale, I suppose, like I used to dream about when I was a little girl. I already found my Prince Charming, and now we're supposed to live happily ever after."

"The time we had together was like a fairy tale to me." He assured her. "Don't you agree?"

Natalie let out a small, teary laugh. "It was, Keith. It really was." She told him. "But I'm never going to find another Prince Charming. You understand me more than anyone else ever could, and I don't know what I'm going to do without you." She admitted. "I don't want to live without you."

"You can't possibly mean that." Keith argued. "You've got your entire life ahead of you yet, Nat. You can do whatever you want to do. Go to Duke, and make your family proud. Become a tennis superstar. Get married. Have children." He told her. "You can still live happily ever after without me. I know you will."

She slowly shook her head. "I don't want to." She cried. "I want to spend my life with _you! _It's just not fair!"

"That's just how it is, Natalie." He whispered.

She lowered her head into her arms and cried into the side of the mattress. "I don't want to say goodbye." She whispered, tilting her head to look up at him. "If I say goodbye, it means that I'm letting you go… And I don't want to let go, Keith! I don't want to!"

Keith heaved a gentle sigh and lifted his hand to cup her tear-stained cheek. "You don't have to, Natalie. You never have to let me go if you don't want to." He whispered, his eyes beginning to droop. "Because… I'll always be… here…" He breathed, weakly reaching out to touch his finger to her heart. "I'll… always… be with you."

Natalie could hear his voice beginning to falter, and her heart began to race. "Don't go." She whispered, gripping his hand. "Please don't go, Keith."

"This isn't… goodbye. Remember?" He told her. "I'm always… here… for you."

As he struggled to speak, the monitor beside him began to beep faster and faster as his heart went crazy. He gave a gentle moan of pain, gripping Natalie's hand with every ounce of strength he had left in him. He had to stay awake. "Natalie," He gasped. "kiss me."

Knowing that he barely had any time left, Natalie bent down and pressed her lips to his, gently holding him close to her. Keith kissed her back with as much strength as he could muster before pulling away as his eyesight faded. Everything was blurry and black around the edges now, but he could still see her face in front of him. "I love you…" He breathed weakly, smiling up at her. "…partner."

He died peacefully, a smile gracing his lips and the remains of tears still shining in his eyes.

For months afterward, Natalie spent her time grieving him, but eventually, she could begin to remember all the happy times they had spent together with a smile. She acknowledged his final wish dutifully, holding his memory in her heart. She did everything that he had promised her she would. She graduated from Duke, and she became known in sports as 'The Sharp Swinging Natalie Anderson.' Eventually, she married a fellow athlete at Duke, a member of the basketball team, and they had a son named Keith, along with two other daughters. Natalie never told her husband or her children about Keith Zetterstrom, but she kept her promises to him until the day she died.

She lived happily ever after, after all.

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**So, what did you think? I didn't want to make it sound too cheesy, but I'm pretty sure I did. Is it _much too_ cheesy, or was it tolerable? Please review and let me know! It took me like a week to write this, and then I spent another week changing it and deleting sections and rewriting them again to make it better. I absolutely adore this movie. I cry everytime I watch it, and I really wanted to make this as perfect as possible. Thanks for reading! Again, please leave me a review! I love to hear what my readers think!**


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